Known Marcos loyalist Elizabeth Oropesa shocked the internet when she suddenly revoked her support for the current president. The actress reportedly felt as though she and other older supporters were being sidelined in favor of newer ones. In a Morly Alinio video, Oropesa commented, “Wala po akong hininging kapalit sa pagtulong ko. Photo lang nya na may dedication (All I am asking for in return for my support is his photo with dedication).”
Oropesa’s hurt resembles that of a fan rejected by a celebrity—a by-product of a deeply ingrained practice in our political system, where celebrities are voted into politics and politicians are treated as celebrities. This fuels a culture of political fanaticism (irrational devotion toward a political figure) in the country. Voters abandon critical thinking in favor of the individual with the most charisma, the most captivating promise, or the best story.
Unfortunately, democracy cannot thrive where political fanaticism proliferates, as it undermines the very democratic systems and principles that our country is founded on.
Lack of check and balance
For one, democracy relies on a balance of power, as our government system shows. Our government's executive, legislative, and judicial branches serve different functions, ensuring that no one branch has absolute control. They are then further kept “in check” by the citizens (whose duty is to hold their leaders accountable for their decisions) and the media (the country’s watchdog). This careful equilibrium is what keeps the “power with the people.” Should something upset this balance, democracy can easily crumble.
Following this logic, a large following of devoted fanatics can easily give way to authoritarianism by giving too much power to a single individual. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, fanatics are those who show “intense and uncritical devotion toward some controversial matter.” Fanaticism blinds, potentially making someone overlook or excuse a person’s flaws, elevating politicians to god-like statuses. Because this perspective makes everything a politician does seem “right,” the public is easily manipulated.
Abuse of democratic freedom
Moreover, this blind following of a political figure is an abuse of our democratic freedom. Democracy gives us the freedom of choice—the freedom to vote and express our opinions. However, along with this freedom, we also have the duty to exercise our rights responsibly by critically assessing our leaders.
Criticism and the objective assessment of our leaders are essential to maintaining the check and balance within our system by holding our leaders accountable for their actions. However, the very presence of political fanaticism indicates an absence of critical thinking. Because fanaticism is rooted in such deeply held beliefs about a particular individual or cause, certain information tends to be filtered or disregarded to accommodate such values. When we choose to “go with the flow,” take the “easy way out,” and let our hearts dictate our decisions, we are taking our democratic freedom for granted. We are allowing our country to depend on emotions—things so baseless, fleeting, and temporary.
Thus, the issue of fanaticism is ultimately an issue of priority: Are you making decisions for yourself, your politician, or your country?
Misplaced loyalty
Understand that, though having biases and preferences is normal, our loyalty should ultimately be to God and our country and not to the individual politician, political party, or cause.
Political fanaticism is a form of idolatry. As Oropesa also highlighted, politicians are not God. To be completely devoted to someone so imperfect—to glorify another human being and make decisions revolving around their own ideals—is not sustainable, simply because it is also in a politician’s nature to make mistakes. What might initially seem like a solid and viable solution to a certain problem can later reveal itself to be another abysmal attempt at redemption.
Thus, engaging in political matters requires a daily assessment of our own values and intentions and an effort to increase our social awareness. What do you believe in? Why? Regardless of social background or political party, we need to be more critical of our country’s leaders. It is, after all, our civic duty.